Every year people around the United States honor the contributions that Latinos have made to our nation by celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15. This celebration recognizes the...

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By
Marta V. Martinez
Posted Sep. 15, 2013 @ 12:01 am

Every year people around the United States honor the contributions that Latinos have made to our nation by celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15. This celebration recognizes the cultures and history of Americans whose heritage can be traced to Mexico, Central America, South America, the Caribbean and Spain.

A bit of history: In 1968, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed a proclamation observing National Hispanic Heritage Week and in 1988 President Ronald Reagan decided to expand the celebration to 30 days.

September 15 was chosen as the first day of the celebration because it is Independence Day for Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and El Salvador. In addition, Mexico celebrates its independence Sept. 16 and Chile Sept. 18. When the celebration was extended, it did so to include Columbus Day (Oct. 12), which in many Latin American countries and Spain is known as el Día de la Raza (Day of the Race) or Día de Las Americas (Day of the Americas).

In August 1988, Congress went further by passing a law designating National Hispanic Heritage Month. That same year in Rhode Island, the Hispanic Heritage Committee of Rhode Island was formed with the goal of celebrating the contributions of Latinos and educating non-Latinos about the rich Latin-American culture in our state.

My good friend Juanita Sánchez and I formed the Hispanic Heritage Committee and worked hard to launch the first celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month in the state. I proposed this idea to Juanita because we were tired of hearing negative comments about our culture by the media, law enforcement, government officials and school personnel.

Looking back to the events and history that have transpired throughout the past 25 years with regard to the the Hispanic Heritage Committee and the Latino community as a whole, I see much positive growth, but also room for improvement.

First, today the committee has become the state’s longest serving and most distinguished Latino art and culture nonprofit organization. It also continues to promote and support local Latino art and artists, and to encourage the statewide celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month.

Why is this important?

Just look at census figures, which show that between 2000 and 2010, the Latino population in Rhode Island increased from 90,820, or 8.7 percent, to 130,655, or 12.4 percent, of the total population. If it hadn’t been for the growth of the Hispanic population during the past decade, Rhode Island would have lost residents for the first time since the 1970s and thus, one congressional seat.

Providence’s growth can also be attributed to Latinos, who now make up more than one third of the city’s residents and who helped elect the first Dominican American mayor in Rhode Island, Angel Taveras. Central Falls Hispanic residents also drew national attention by first leading a strong campaign to promote the importance of filling out the 2010 census forms, bringing Latino population to over 60 percent of the city’s overall population, and then making it to the polls en masse two years later to elect the city’s first Latino mayor, James Diossa.

So 25 years later, I am proud to say that the Hispanic Heritage Committee’s achievements have been manifold. One of the best outcomes of its community endeavors has been that the group has joined national movements to highlight the many positive contributions of the Latin-American culture and boasts a website that carries a broad listing of Latin-American artists, eateries, festivals and more, thus reaching out and educating a much broader audience than in the early years.

Another success of the group’s efforts to promote Latino arts in the past 25 years is that many Latino artists who may not have had the capacity — mainly because of language or cultural differences — were able to make important connections with the community-at-large through our organization. Rhode Islanders have since enjoyed the rich culture of its local Spanish-speaking people, not only during the celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, but throughout the year. And finally, the HHCRI launched the first and only comprehensive oral history collection of the state’s Latino pioneers, thus ensuring that Latinos have a place in the people’s history of Rhode Island.

Today, in 2013, as the group celebrates its 25th anniversary, it has undergone what I consider to be a very positive transformation. While the committee still exists to carry out its original mission, the organization as a whole has changed its name to Rhode Island Latino Arts. The mission has not changed, but HHCRI will continue to promote Latino heritage not just during four weeks in the fall, but throughout the year to honor the impact and influence that Hispanic culture has had on American society in areas such as art, science, education, politics and the economy. And as we celebrate these hard-fought achievements, we must also remember there is more work to be done to broaden the circle of opportunity for Latinos and keep the American dream within reach for all who seek it.

Observing Hispanic Heritage Month is a great opportunity to celebrate and take pride in our ethnic roots and educate those around you about Latin-American cultures. I am not only proud, but also greatly honored to have had the opportunity to have witnessed and to have been a part of this historic progress in Rhode Island for the past 25 years.

Marta V. Martínez is the founder and chairwoman of the Hispanic Heritage Committee of Rhode Island Latino Arts.

Hispanic Heritage Month events

The Hispanic Heritage Committee of Rhode Island kicked off the celebration of its 25th annual Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15 to Oct. 15) on Sept. 14 with the annual Heritage Festival events in Providence and fireworks in Central Falls. Some upcoming events:

Sept. 26-29 — Providence Latin American Film Festival. Films will be screened at University of Rhode Island’s Providence campus, Bryant University, Providence College and the Warwick Public Library. Cost: $9 per film. Go to plaff.org for a complete list of films, times and locations.

Sept. 26 — Book discussion in Spanish of acclaimed Latino novel “Bless Me, Ultima.” South Providence Community Library, 441 Prairie Ave. 6-7:30 pm. Free. “Ticket” to event is a copy of the book. Providence Community Libraries have a number of copies in English and Spanish.

Oct. 15 — Book discussion in English of “Bless Me, Ultima.” Rochambeau Library, 708 Hope St., Providence. 6-8 pm. Discussion followed by screening of 2012 film of the book. Free. “Ticket” to event is a copy of the book. Providence Community Libraries have a number of copies in English and Spanish. Otherwise, $5 donation to film screening. Register at hispanicheritageri.org/Literacy.html.

The Museum of Work & Culture, Providence Children’s Museum, Providence City Arts! For Youth, Providence Community Libraries and the RISD Museum will have special programs during Hispanic Heritage Month. For more information, visit the “Family Programs” page at hispanicheritageri.org.